Hopkinton 3, Milford 0: Hillers show early season strength

After falling to Canton in the semifinals of last year’s Division 2 Central tournament, the Hopkinton girls volleyball team wanted to quickly show it would once again be a contender in 2014. The Hillers accomplished that feat on their home court Wednesday night, sweeping non-league opponent Milford.

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By Brad JoyalDaily News correspondent

Milford Daily News

By Brad JoyalDaily News correspondent

Posted Sep. 3, 2014 at 10:00 PM

By Brad JoyalDaily News correspondent
Posted Sep. 3, 2014 at 10:00 PM

» Social News

HOPKINTON — After falling to Canton in the semifinals of last year’s Division 2 Central tournament, the Hopkinton girls volleyball team wanted to quickly show it would once again be a contender in 2014.

The Hillers accomplished that feat on their home court Wednesday night, beating non-league opponent Milford in straight sets.

Hopkinton’s 3-0 victory came after earning 25-5 and 25-6 wins in Games 1 and 2, respectively, before hanging on to win the third game 25-21.

"It was great to come into the season and get a win, especially for the new girls to get in because they’re our program’s future," said Hopkinton outside hitter and senior co-captain Holly Adams. "Once we are able to get momentum there’s no stopping us.

"We just take it and run with it."

After playing to a 4-4 tie through the first eight points of Game 1, Hopkinton ran off three consecutive points to take a 7-4 lead. That seventh point proved to shift any momentum Milford had to the Hillers, as the Scarlet Hawks’ libero (defensive specialist) senior co-captain Taylor Gilliatt dove onto the court to try to keep the ball in the air.

She was unable to keep the ball in play, and banged her head on the hardwood floor while making the dive.

She left the match and did not return.

With Milford’s defensive leader off of the floor, Hopkinton scored the game’s next six points to take a commanding 13-4 lead before Milford finally halted it to cut the deficit to eight.

Following the Milford point, Hopkinton senior co-captain Kaitlyn West led the charge down the stretch, as the her team scored the final 12 points to close out the game.

"We had a lot of strong serving tonight which definitely helped our cause," Hopkinton coach Margie Grabmeier said. "The girls have been playing together for so long that they have good communication skills on the court and they are able to anticipate where their teammates are going to be."

After opening Game 2 with a 4-1 lead, Hopkinton’s Whitney Thalheimer took over reigns as the team’s server and led a 10-0 run to give the Hillers a 14-1 edge. Milford finally stopped the run, but then Hanna Engstrom took over as the Hopkinton server to give her team a 21-2 lead in route to a 25-6 victory.

"I think in the beginning they were sort of nervous with it being the first game and they had to get all of their butterflies out," Milford coach Jade Garay said. "I have a lot of young girls on our team who had never been on a varsity court before. They stepped it up a lot, and I think once the butterflies got out of the way we got into a groove but it was too late."

Page 2 of 2 - Milford’s best game of the match was undoubtedly the third, where the Scarlet Hawks established an 11-5 lead.

But once Jen Manning received the ball to serve for Hopkinton, the Hillers regained their rhythm and went on a 7-0 run to take a 12-11 lead. Milford fought until the end — cutting the Hillers’ lead to 22-21 with only points left to play — but Hopkinton shut the door with three straight points to earn the victory.

Adams was a force for the Hillers all night, finishing with 10 kills, five digs, and three service aces. Engstrom added five kills and five blocks, while Manning contributed five digs for Hopkinton. Senior co-captain and setter, Renee Cooprider, led the Hillers with 16 assists.

Senior co-captain Carli Cappelletti had three kills and two aces for visiting Milford, and senior Shaylyn Tracy added two kills while also registering a blocked kill.

With their first win under their belt, the Hopkinton team is looking forward to riding their success as far as it will take them during the 2014 season.

"They have big goals," Grabmeier said. "This team has been together a long time and knows what they’re capable of. They want to take it as far as they can."